


Both? Both! Both Is Good.

by gala_apples



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Alternate Ending, M/M, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22593853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gala_apples/pseuds/gala_apples
Summary: Otis is not going to like this, Eric knows. Not one bit. Otis can eat a dick though, with his consistently bad relationship advice, as far as Eric is concerned.
Relationships: Eric Effiong/Adam Groff, Eric Effiong/Adam Groff/Rahim, Eric Effiong/Rahim
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	Both? Both! Both Is Good.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the emotionplay/jealousy/cuckolding prompt for seasonofkink. I'm not sure that's Rahim's actual thing, as much as just poly leanings, but it's Eric's pov, so I'm going with unreliable kink narrator.

_Say it again_ , he asks. And Adam does. In front of everyone, in front of his mom and his sisters and all the people who ever witnessed his bullying, Adam says it. Says _please? Will you hold my hand?_ And really, what else can Eric do but reach out and grab the hand that Adam’s extended? 

The applause that the crowd bursts into is false, Eric knows. Very few of them actually know his name, let alone give a fuck about his romantic status. To them it’s just part of the show, not something actually happening to someone. But the cheers of victory still sends a wave of flushed emotion over him. He can’t help but feel like everything has come together for him when people are cheering and hooting like Hedwig’s just reunited with Tommy Gnosis.

Still, the show must go on. He shoos Adam through the vagina to backstage, and settles back down with his French horn. Whatever connection they’ve forged can wait until after Romeo and Juliet get their last tantric moments together.

Only it doesn’t happen like that. After all the work everyone’s put in, the band and the drama club and the stage crew and the costumers, after literal months of striving for perfectionism, assclown Mr Groff puts an end to it all. He throws a wobblie on stage, a big puritan tantrum that ends up with Otis revealing himself as the sex advice kid. It’s all very dramatic, especially when the school board lady practically drags Mr Groff by the ear to his office. Eric would find it entertaining, if he didn’t feel so bad for Lily. Mr Hendricks has no choice but to call it quits, turn the gymnasium lights on and wait for people to disperse.

Eric changes back to his gorgeous leopard print shirt and cheetah print jacket backstage, then wades out into the crowd to face the music. Sure Adam will be waiting for him, and there’s a thrum of delight in him at the prospect. But Mum and his sisters are out there too. Not to mention Rahim must be somewhere. That’s at least four risky conversations to be held, and no doubt Otis will have an opinion too, although at least he can wait until later. 

It’s nearly unsettling, how happy Mum seems to be. She was pleasant to Rahim, only to be critical behind his back. But when Eric walks into the hallway holding Adam’s hand there’s an actual bloody _smile_ on her face. Eric will hear all about that later, he’s sure, but in the meantime what it means is that it’s safe to deposit Adam with her and go see if Rahim’s still on campus. It seems like a longshot, but Eric would really rather get that conversation over with, the sooner the better. He’s never broken up with someone before. He’s smarter than to text Otis for advice, considering his best friend is often full of shit, but he wishes there was a guide to it. Maybe there is. He’s never Googled it, seeing as he’s _never fucking broken up with someone_.

Will wonders never cease, Rahim is sitting on the backrest of one of the park benches in front of the school. A lump forms in Eric’s throat as the benefits of not having time to obsess and worry about this confrontation clashes against, you know, actually having it. Not ready, not ready, everything about dating is terrible and he’s not ready.

“Rahim! I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologise,” he interrupts. Eric’s hands are clenching down on the straps of his backpack, so scared of how devastated he might have made this boy. He can’t say anything, has to let Rahim finish.

“Be careful. He can hold your hand but I’m not sure he can catch you.”

Eric’s pretty sure he’s crying. God, how do people do this?

“You know who can catch you? I can.”

Wow. Oh God, wow. He’d never even considered this as the worst case scenario, Rahim trying to refuse to break up. But it’s definitely the worst, because now he has to say something instead of just acting out. 

“Rahim, I think- I mean. I think I love-”

Rahim gives him a pained smirk. “Yes, that was made abundantly clear. But nowhere does it say that a relationship is composed of only two. The world is made up of relationships, and the friction and overlap between them can make things rich.”

“Um-”

“Go get Adam. If he’s willing, show me why he’s worth the presumption of blowing up a different relationship.”

“Wait. Wait. Are you saying... Do you want me to kiss him in front of you?” The words feel explosive coming off of his tongue. If he’s misread Rahim, this conversation is about to get a whole lot more ugly. But if he’s right- Could he do that? Would Adam do that? 

“Go get Adam,” Rahim repeats. “At least try, before you throw this away entirely.”

When Rahim puts it like that, Eric has to go sprinting back into school. He’s been thinking about this for weeks, ever since turning the light off on Adam when he threw his pebbles. Thinking about a crazy fantasy world in which he didn’t have to choose between Adam’s edgy intensity and Rahim’s classic romance. Now that the poetry and kissing in public have revealed an underbelly of weird cheating kink, like hell is Eric not going to at least try to make it appeal to Adam too.

Adam’s still with Mum and Linds and Devonne. Eric has no qualms about steering him away with barely a word in goodbye. Eric’s spent a long time manufacturing a peace between his flamboyance and his family’s conservative nature, he’s grown quite used to meaningful avoidance. Besides, Adam will be over having dinner before the week is through, Eric’s sure. They can do any necessary grilling then.

“Where are we going?” Adam asks. “What do you want to do?”

Thankfully it’s not that far a walk between the school’s entrance and where Rahim is still on the bench. Eric doesn’t have to prolong the silence for too long before he’d midway between the two points, close enough to see Rahim but far enough to not be overheard.

“I want to make out with you in front of my ex.”

Adam frowns, confusion fluttering over his face. “I. I’m not sure. I already did the going crazy in front of the ex thing, it didn’t turn out well. But I, I don’t want you to think I’m already backing out of the public affection thing. I-”

“Rahim wants to see it. See us. And I want to show him. Is that alright?” Can he really expect Adam to say yes? It’s a highly weird request, he knows. Just because he’s okay with it doesn’t mean Adam should be.

Rather than answer Eric, Adam strides the last few feet to Rahim. “You still like him? You gonna punch me if we do this? I’d punch back, it’d be stupid.”

Rahim finally stands up from the bench. “I’m not going to maul you like some animal. Passion is a stunning thing, and there should always be more of it in the world, not less. So show me. Show me your passion for him.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Adam says “you know I’m going to date him now.”

“Yes. It was brave of you to be honest in public, and I know it happened because you want to date each other. But that hardly means Eric can’t date me. We provide him different things.”

The longer Adam and Rahim talk, the more Eric sees his chance to have this slipping down the drain. Adam’s not a talker, he’s a doer. If this was going to happen, it would have already. And it’s fine, it is, he won’t do this if Adam hates it, he’ll reject Rahim completely. It would have been nice, but how often do you really get your filthy fantasy life to come true? It’s fine.

Except then Adam steps into his space. He curves the long fingers of his left hand on Eric’s right cheek, and guides his face towards him. Eric leans in and melts the moment Adam’s lips touch his. Despite everything, the junkyard smashing and the fighting blowjob and the adrenaline probably still coursing through him after coming out, despite it all, this kiss is gentle. As smooth as can be. Eric presses his tongue against Adam’s and would be happy for it to go on forever. It’s such a good kiss he forgets all about his audience. No, that’s a lie. That’s how romance _should_ go, he knows. The truth of it is every inch of his skin can feel Rahim watching, every centimeter tingling like mad. It’s a good kiss that’s so much better for the audience.

It’s wretched when Adam pulls away from him. Eric scrambles to hold on, not ready to be done. He doesn’t care if it makes him look desperate, not when the alternative is ending this moment with Adam and Rahim. Eric doesn’t want to hear any post action report. He wants the action to not be over.

God bless it, he gets his wish. It’s one of the million tiny proofs that there is a God, never mind Rahim’s respectful atheism. When Adam refuses to reenage, it’s because he’s stepping back and jutting his chin towards Rahim. “Your turn, yeah?”

Rahim’s kiss is much different than Adam’s. For one he smells like cologne, not sweat from running across the village to get to school in time for the play. It’s also decidedly more horny. Rahim’s clearly getting off on the idea of him making out with Adam. Eric can’t judge that, not when he’s just as turned on for equally uncivilized reasons. Cheating kink versus exhibitionism kink- Ms M would definitely say neither’s worse than the other.

“You got a place to go?” Adam asks. It’s an uncomfortable reminder than Adam’s home life is in shambles. The last thing they need is to go over to the Groffs to find Mr Groff weeping on the porch or something else terrible. The reminder is utterly tempered by Eric’s dick realising his current boyfriend wants to find a private place to spend time with him and his ex. Or maybe not ex? Maybe Rahim’s... something else? The definitions of this thing that’s happening are very fuzzy at this point. 

“No one’s home at mine,” Rahim offers.

“Yes. Yes let’s do that. Let’s go.” Oh man. Otis is going to fucking kill him later, rip apart this life choice. Oh well. It’s not the first time Eric has blatantly disregarded Otis’ advice, and it surely won’t be the last.


End file.
